Apparatus for manufacturing ice.



W. B. KIRKPATRICK.

A APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING'ICE.

APPUCATION FILED MAR.29.19I5.

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

' UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEmE.

WILLIS B. KIRKPATRICK, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTUBTNG ICE.

Application filed March 29, 1915. Serial No: 17,617.

v T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIS B. KIRK- PATRICK,a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city ofBaltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus "for-Manufacturing Ice, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for manufacturingraw water ice of the general type described in my copending applicationNo. 6987, the device.

The present invention relates to an im--. p proved means for deliveringair andpap; ticularly to the use of a pipe which" is? straight like thecentral drop. previous application but which, insteado being vertical,is placed at an angle to the vertical, preferably extending from a pointnear theside of the can at the top to a point near the center slightlyabove the bottom.

When the pipe is in this position, the air,

being delivered at an angle to the vertical,

as it loses its downward velocity, turns up-' .ward on one side of theoutlet of the pipe, causing a swirl which is more effective in keepingthe suspended matter in motion, and preventing it from becomingimpounded in the ice, than is' the agiation produced by the moregenerally diffused air delivered from the vertical tube. In the latterinstance, the air is' first projected directly downward from the end ofthe tube and rises upward on all sides with a greater tendency todiffusion than when delivered from the inclined pipe. Also, as thefreezing progresses, the flow from the inclined pipe passes upward by asingle direct channel and is more effective in keepingopen the path bymeans of which the air escapes to the surface than is the flow from thevertical pipe.

The invention relates to the use of a straight pipe which can be easilywithdrawn from the frozen cake when heated, the pipe being placed at anangle to give the result I Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedNov. 30,1915.

stated andalso to means for supporting the pipe in this position. a

, The invention furtherrelates to a con-. venient means for connectingand disconnecting the air pipe and to a guide for the steam nozzle usedin thawing out the delivery pipe prior to withdrawing it.

The drawings which form a part of this application show a can of thekind'used in the manufacture of can ice and in connection with this.there is illustrated an air delivery pipemounted in accordance with myinvention. I also show details relating to the air connection and steamnozzle guide.

Figure 1 is a view showing partly in section and partly in elevation aclamp adapted to hold the air delivery pipe in the inclined positiondescribed; the figure also shows the air connection andno-zzle guide;Fig. 2 is a lan of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical cenftral sectionthrough a can of the type used in the manufacture of can ice showing inelevation within the can an air delivery tube mounted in accordance withthe principles of my invention, a bracket for supporting the tube, and,in a general way, the air connection and steam nozzle guide; and Fig. 4

shows a portion of the external air supply pipe with the removableportion of the air connection attached.

Referring to the drawings by numerals; the preferred form of theinvention illustrated includesa straight delivery pipe 1 se at an angleto the vertical, means in the for of a bracket 2 for'supporting thepipe, a removable air pipe connection 3 carried by the supportingbracket at the top of the delivery pipe, and a steam nozzle guide 4,also carried bythe bracket.

As the air ispreferably delivered at the bottom of the cannear thecenter, and the delivery \pipe is inclined in order to direct thecurrent of air in the manner host favorable to continuous and uniformagitation of the freezing liquid which prevents the suspended foreignmatter from becoming impounded in the ice, the pipe is prefer- I thecenter of the can near the bottom.

ably extended from the top of the can at one side of the center to thecenter near the bottom and is conveniently supported on the top edge ofthe can by means of the bracket 2 which is a feature of this invention.This bracket is strengthened by webs as shown to give it the necessaryrigidity. In the form shown, it includes a hook 6 which takes over theedge of the can and an arm 7 which projects into the can. This arm isapertured at 8 in a direction inclined to the vertical, the aperturebeing preferably directed toward This aperture has a threaded portion 9near the bottom to engage a correspondingly threaded end 10 of thedelivery pipe, and below the thread at 11, the aperture is preferablysmooth and of a diameter to fit the outside of the pipe and serve as aguide and support for the pipe. Above the! threaded portion, theaperture is enlarged forming a shoulder 12 and a chamber 13 in which isa rubber sleeve or tube section 11 which should be of pure rubber gum toresist the action of heat and steam used in removing the delivery tubefrom the cake of ice. This rubber sleeve or ring ll forms an adjustablegripping member to engage the metal tip 15 which is secured to theflexible air supply pipe 16, of which there is one to each can, thesupply pipes being connected to the compressed air mains in accordancewith the description of the previous application referred to herein. Tovary the intensity ofthe grip, a nut or screw plug 17 is provided whichengages an internal thread 18 in the apertured portion of the bracket.This plug has a central hole or opening 19 to admit the tip 15 of thesupply pipe. To increase the intensity of the grip, the plug 17 isscrewed down against the rubber ringcompressing it and reducing the sizeof the central opening 20 in the ring or sleeve. For the purpose ofmaking the engagement effective, the tip 15 is crowned or enlarged atits lower end at 21 so as to offer increased resistance to thewithdrawal from the socket or gripping member 14, and the butt is madeto fit the tube having circumferential grooves or barbs to improve theengagement.

Another important feature of the device is found in the positioning orguiding surface 22 which serves as a means for locatrng the steam nozzleor needle. When freezing is completed and it becomes desirable to removethe delivery pipe from the cake of ice, steam is injected into it toraise the temperature of the pipe and thaw the immediately surroundingice and release the pipe. This cannot be done conveniently by admittingsteam to the top end of the air pipe. In order to accomplish the desiredresult, the steam must be delivered to the bottom of the air pipe and tothis end, a steam needle or elongated nozzle is used which issubstantially the length. of the air pipe from the bracket to the bottomend. This steam noz zle is thrust into the delivery pipe after the airsupply pipe 16 has been disconnected, and on account of the length ofthe nozzle, considerable difliculty is experienced in inserting it. Toform a suitable guidefor this nozzle, the nut. 17 has been cupped asdescribed, at 22, forming an external guide surface or conicalconcavity, the axis of the cone being concentric with that of the airpipe.

The advantages of the invention are found, first, in the fact that theair thus delivered from the inclined pipe produces more thoroughagitation and thus keeps the foreign matter in suspension to betteradvantage than when the air is moregenerally diffusedas by a verticalpipe; that after freezing has taken place, choking of the air passage isless apt to occur on account of the fact that the current of air,instead of being diffused, is directed into a single channel. Placingthe pipe in this way also has the advantage that it leaves the center ofthe can near the topunobstructed so that when water having'a highcontent of foreign matter is used, the core may be pumped out near theend of the freezing process, removing all the impurities and theinclined pipe oflers no obstruction to this operation. The

pipe placed in this position has the advantage over an outside pipe orone placed in the corner of the can, that it is not subject to thelowest temperatures until the freezing process is well advanced so thatcondensation of moisture with consequent choking of the pipe is less aptto occur. Freezing takes place first at the sides well below the top,and more rapidly at the sides than at. the bottom where the circulationof brine is not active, so that the pipe is not subject to a temperaturebelow 32 until freezing has been in progress for a considerable period,and even then, the temperature of the ice which comes in contact withthe pipe is not as low as that of the brine to which the outside pipesor those placed directly against the walls of the can are subject.Another advantage of this construction is that the connection is nearthe header and also the length of hose required is shorter and thereforecheaper and easier to handle.

By means of the removable connection which I have described, theintensity of the grip taken by the stationary member upon the removabletips of the supply pipe, may be varied at will as the rubber wears, sothat the life of the partsis ahnost interminable, and, in addition tothis} the connections may be made with the shortest possible delay.WVhen freezing is completed, the air pipes are withdrawn instantly andthe steam nozzle inserted by way of the guide 22 without appreciabledifiiculty, and the operation is accomplished instantaneously in thecase of eachcan.

The improvement relates to the perfection of the product as well as toefliciency and economy of operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1s:

1. Means for agitating Water in the manufacture of raw water can icehaving in combination, a can, an air supply pipe and an .air deliverypipe, the latter being straight placed in a position inclined t6 thevertical and extending through the body of water near the centralportion substantially to the bottom of the can.

2. Means for agitating water in the manufacture of raw water can icehaving, in combination, a can, an air supply pipe, an air delivery pipeof a length approaching. the depth of the can, the pipe being straightand placed at an angle to the vertical sothat it extends nearly to thebottom of thecan, the

submerged portion of the pipe being well away from the sides of the can,and means for supporting the-delivery pipe in such po-' sition in whichit is inclined. to the vertical.

. 3. Means for agitating Water in the manufacture of raw Water iceincluding an air supply pipe, a straight and rigid air delivery pipeWhich is inclined to'the vertical and extends from a point near the topof the can at one side of the center to a point near the bottom of thecan and near the center,

and means for supporting the delivery pipe I in the position described.

4. Means for agitating water in the manufacture of raw water can ice,including a can, a hook engaging the top edge of the can and having anarm extending inward, the arm being apertured at an angle to the axis ofthe can so that the aperture points toward the center of thecan at thebottom, a rigid delivery pipe secured in the aperture and extendingtoward the center of the can near the bottom, and means for leading airto the upper end of the air delivery pipe.

5. In an apparatus for agitating'water in the manufacture of raw waterice, a flexible air supply pipe, an air delivery pipe, a bracket forholding the delivery pipe, the saine being apertured to receive thedelivery pipe and the supply pipe, a rubber ring in the aperture, a tipon the supply pipe to en-' gage the ring and means for compressing-theon the supply pipe to be inserted in the aper-' ture to complete theconnection. 1

7 An apparatus for agitating water in the manufacture of raw water canice including a rigid delivery pipe, means-for support ing the deliverypipe, said means having an aperture to receive the delivery pipe, theupper end of said aperture having a conical opening to act as a guidejorthe steam nozzle in thawing.

8. An apparatus for agitating water in the'manufacture of rawwater canice including a rigid air delivery pipe, a flexible supply pipe having arigid tip, a support for the adjacent ends of both pipes apertured toadmit the upper end of the delivery pipe and-the tip of the supply pipe,a flexible ring in said aperture adapted to receive the rigid tip of thesupply pipe and means for compressing the ring in the form of a threadedplug, adapted to engage a thread in the aperture, the plug beingcentrally apertured and the upper end of'the aperture-in the plug beingflared to serve as a guide for the steam nozzle-when the supply pipe iswithdrawn.

9. In an apparatus for manufacturing ice, a can to hold the Water to befro-zen and -means for deliveringair at the bottom of the can to agitatethe -water in freezing, in

the form of a straight pipe inclined to the axis of the can having itslower end in the bottomofthe can, all submerged portions of the pipebeing spaced well away from the sides of the can.

Signed by me at. Baltimore, Maryland, this 26th day of March, 1915.

WILLIS KIRKPATRICK.

vllvitnessesz ZELLA vKU N, H. H. WALDKoEme.

